By GREGORY ZELLER //
A range of sustainable green features and a mandate to protect the state’s marine habitats mark the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s new Suffolk County-based Marine Resources headquarters.
Officially opened Thursday in Nissequogue River State Park, the new $26 million facility – in step with the Nissequogue River State Park Master Plan – will serve as a central hub for the DEC’s Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources. A such, the Kings Park-based HQ will manage and conserve New York’s marine fisheries, shellfish breeding grounds and other protected marine-life habitats.
And it will do so in the most environmentally friendly manner way: The new facility, LEED Silver-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for its energy-efficient construction, boasts a host of sustainability-focused components, highlighted by ground- and roof-mounted solar panels capable of generating 100,000 kilowatt-hours of energy annually.
Basil Seggos: Fully committed.
Other “green” bells and whistles include recycled construction materials, LED lighting, energy-efficient electrical systems, low-impact air-conditioning refrigerants, electric-vehicle parking stations and “rain gardens” designed to reduce stormwater runoff, among other ecological mechanisms.
“New York’s sustained commitment to the protection and preservation of the region’s marine environment is evident in every feature of this new, state-of-the art green building,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a statement. “With this new sustainable facility, DEC will be at the forefront of scientific research and environmental protection to safeguard our marine environments for future generations.”
That work is critical to New York’s coastal communities, with roughly 350,000 jobs and billions of dollars generated annually by coastal tourism and marine-related industries. And it’s especially important on Long Island, where nearly 10 percent of the regional gross domestic product is generated by coastal tourism, fishing and other marine industries, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called the new DEC facility a “common-sense project” that “represents a big win for our region’s vital marine ecosystems,” while Hochul labeled it “evidence of our ongoing commitment to protecting New York’s diverse marine life, while leading the way in the development of sustainable infrastructure.”
“From recreational anglers out for a day to commercial shellfish harvesters who have fished our state’s waters for generations, the health of New York’s marine ecosystem is critical to the economic health of our coastal communities,” the governor said Thursday.
